Cold
by the original killerpineapple
Summary: HPDM,SSLM I reach my good arm behind me, needing to feel the warmth of another person, and instead feel only the grazed knuckles of a hand as cold as ice. Contains domestic violence. You have been warned
1. Hands as cold as ice

Disclaimer: J.K.Rowling owns everything I've ever wanted.

I shiver and draw my right arm tighter across my chest, still cradling my other, abused wrist against the crook of my neck, and flinch when my fingers press gently on a tender spot on my ribs. There'll be a bruise in the morning. Several, actually.

I consider getting up and closing the window, but don't want to wake the loathsome beauty I lie with my back to. Normally I wouldn't mind rousing him, but he's in a bad mood tonight, although he's already dealt with most of his anger. Besides, I always find the breeze soothing, after…

I squirm closer to the edge of the bed, hating the warmth of his breath on my neck. It fills me with the feeling of vulnerability he seems to find so endearing. My wrist twinges painfully and I gasp, wishing the healing potion would hurry the hell up.

For the hundredth time I think about running away, and almost laugh with the absurdity of the absent-minded pondering. Where could I go where he couldn't find me? No, he knows me too well to be incapable of locating me, and I know him too well to think he'll let me go without a fight. I also know that he's not really the problem. If I could just hold my tongue we'd be fine, if I weren't so stubborn, sarcastic…

I whimper as the healing potion starts to work, feeling ashamed that a tear still rolls down my cheek even after the countless times of being subjected to the vile mixture. I feel the splintered bone forcing itself back into its original shape and try not to look at it. I reach my good arm behind me, needing to feel the warmth of another person, and instead feel only the grazed knuckles of a hand as cold as ice.


	2. Ten past eight

Disclaimer: Same as ever

AN: Swearing! The f word! Oh, and domestic violence.

I lie awake, listening to the sound of the shower from the bathroom, and try to find some sort of motivation to get out of bed. I fail. I can hear Harry giggling at the end of the corridor and, in a moment of malicious spite, hope that Draco is like his father. It seems unfair to me that they can talk, smile, laugh, and not be afraid that one wrong move could provoke the type of consequences I live in fear of.

The sound of running water stops and I listen to Lucius moving around in the bathroom. He steps out of the shower, slips on the floor, curses. I smile. A few moments pass before he opens the door and I turn my back to him. He's dressed in pale blue robes and has his hair tied back from his face.

"Get up." Although his voice is cruel, he doesn't sound angry and I hope that maybe, today, he'll leave me alone. I slide my feet onto the cold floor and brush my hair from my face, wincing at the pressure on my barely healed wrist, before pushing myself from the bed. He leans on the doorframe, his arms folded, and examines the latest damage. I squirm uneasily under his gaze and look at the floor. I wait for him to comment on my wrist, which still looks awkward and uncomfortable, but he doesn't. His eyes linger on a vicious bite mark near my neck instead.

"Wear a high collar." I pick robes from the wardrobe and hold them up, waiting for his approval. He scrunches his nose in disgust and starts to inspect his nails. "No, not those ones. Do you really want everyone else to see how overweight you've become?" I flinch at the comment and root around in my wardrobe for something else to wear. I have been putting on weight over the past few months, but I didn't realize that others had noticed.

After a while he gets impatient and pushes past me. "For fuck's sake! Here, wear this one." The robes he throws at me are almost identical to the ones I picked. He makes his way to the door, tired of waiting for me. "Be at breakfast at ten past eight. I don't want to have to come and find you. Do you?" I shake my head. "What?" Had I not lived with Lucius for the past ten years, I would've thought it impossible to force so much malice into one word.

"No." My heart rate quickens, hoping that it was the right answer, that it won't anger him further.

"Good." He hesitates with his hand on the door handle and looks down. "How's your wrist?"

"It's fine." He doesn't believe my lie for one second, but nods and leaves the room hurriedly. I wish that he'd apologise, show some form of remorse, just once. I wish he'd put his arms around me, dry my tears, place tender kisses on my forehead when I'm hurting.

I throw my robes down onto the unmade bed and open the heavy red drapes. Lucius is sitting alone in the painfully bright morning sun. His staff rush around him, placing fruit and croissants on the garden table wherever they can find room. I consider arriving at eleven minutes past eight, just to piss him off, but know that it would be a deplorable sin in his eyes. Further up the inconceivably vast garden, Draco chases Harry, his pale skin lightly flushed from the exercise. Harry runs quickly, but not as quickly as the athletic youth can move, if he wants to escape. But right now, he wants to be caught. Draco ensnares him round the waist and lifts him off his feet. Harry lets out a scream and laughs as Draco whirls him round to face him, capturing his lips in a lingering kiss. I picture my self running, and although I try my hardest to get away from him, he catches me, winding me and gripping my arms, forcing me to look at him. I don't laugh, and my scream is a cry of fear, not child-like delight as Harry's was. He crushes his lips to mine, bruising the eternally pained flesh.

I close the drapes again, and start to get dressed, overly aware that it's already seven minutes past eight.


	3. Unwanted guests

Severus woke to the most penetrating glare he'd ever seen. He thought, not for the first time, how beautiful those eyes were, especially in the dark. The dilated pupils and frame of charcoal eyelashes created a striking contrast to the pale silver of his irises, which were encircled in a dark green. He remembered waking up once, when they were young, to the sight of these eyes and noticing for the first time an almost invisible ring of black eyeliner. He'd smiled up at him and asked if he was wearing makeup. The owner of the dynamic eyes had looked shocked and answered "Of course I am!" and Severus had laughed at how typical the response was, how…Lucius. Lucius' vanity was unsurprising, but Severus knew that it was more than that. Severus hid. Always had done. He'd hide away in parchments and books; in dungeons and repugnant places; behind long hair and cutting words. Lucius hid too, but he hid behind expensive robes, a happy, pure-blooded family and an honourable reputation. He'd spun a web of lies around himself, and sometimes Severus thought he was the only person who was capable of seeing through the silken threads. 

"Can I help you?" Severus' voice sounded muffled as he tried his best to remain awake.

"What is Remus Lupin doing sitting at my breakfast table?" Lucius' voice trembled with barely controlled anger. Severus was confused for a moment as to why Lucius thought he knew the answer to this question, which called so loudly to his natural sarcasm, and why, indeed, Lupin was sitting at the table of his leading competitor. He was never in the best of moods in the early morning, and had to struggle to stop himself from saying "Eating breakfast, I should imagine." in his opulent drawl.

"Erm…what?" he said instead, pushing the palms of his hands against his eyes and struggling to sit up. Lucius pulled his hands away from his face, firmly but unusually softly, and pinned them down against the mattress.

"Remus Lupin. In my house. Eating my food. Why?" It suddenly struck Severus what day it was and he half-laughed, half-sighed in relief and understanding.

"Something funny?"

"I didn't invite him, if that's what you're driving at. Harry did. For his birthday party?"

"But his party isn't until tomorrow. Why's he here now?"

"Well, he lives quite a distance away. He didn't want to miss the party, and doesn't like wizard methods of travel, so Draco said he could come down early and stay for a few nights." He paused momentarily, wondering if Lucius would reprimand him for knowing even that small amount of information about his past lover. "Didn't you know?" Lucius swept elegantly off the bed and started to walk back and forth in an eight shape at the foot of the bed.

"No. Why would Draco talk to me when he has you to share his life with. Anyone would think you were his father!" Despite his crushing fatigue, Severus climbed, somewhat awkwardly, from the tangled mess of sheets and blankets and put his arms around Lucius' waist, kissing his neck, and effectively stopping him in his distracted pacing. Lucius touched the back of his hand absent-mindedly.

"I know he may seem dismissive sometimes, but he does love you." Lucius sighed and turned to face him, leaning their foreheads together.

"I know he does. I know." He kissed Severus' forehead and stepped from his embrace. "You'd better get dressed, as we seem to have an unwanted werewolf to entertain." Severus grinned at the bitterness and disapproval in his voice, knowing that, for once, it wasn't directed at him. He disappeared into the bathroom and turned the shower on, while Lucius dithered in their bedroom, unsure of who he distrusted more. Finally he decided he could trust Severus not to be stupid enough to defy him and went downstairs to keep an eye on Harry's lycanthropic guest.

22

Severus went to take the seat closest to the door, between Remus and Lucius, but Lucius took his hand and lead him to the seat on the other side of him, embarrassing Remus. Severus liked it when Lucius was possessive. It reassured him that at least he was still wanted. Harry and Remus talked eagerly of Harry's upcoming birthday, Draco joining in occasionally, and Lucius and Severus ate in companionable silence. Severus picked gingerly at his food, wary of Lucius' comment on his weight, despitethis morning's bad moodbeing directed at someone else.Severus tried to hide his smile as Lucius scowled at Remus and the others pretended not to notice. Severus could practically hear the unspoken threats and insults running through Lucius' mind.

Severus reclined in his chair and took the time to watch the people currently sitting around the table, Lucius' hand, entwined in his and resting on his leg, making him more content than he had been in a long time.

Lucius, usually an impeccable host, seemed unhappy with having to cope with his current company so early in the morning. He'd never liked Harry, convinced that the boy had somehow altered his son, and his constant vivaciousness was enough to make him mistrust him. However, he was willing to put up with him if it meant seeing Draco smile after his tumultuous childhood.

Remus looked reasonably comfortable, but he tugged at his ear occasionally and glanced uneasily at the softly seething blond beside him. He looked considerably worse for wear than he had fourteen years ago, when his and Severus' relationship (which had really just been a series of one night stands spanning seventeen years) had ended, two years after his intimacy with Lucius had begun.

Draco had changed a lot since he was a teenager. His arrogance and hot temper had dimmed somewhat, and he'd become a quietly confidant young man, although his deep-seated pride still remained.

Bloody Gryffindors. Severus started when he realised that he'd been inadvertently snooping around Lucius' thoughts.

He'll be gone by Sunday.

Let's lure him into the forest and leave him there until then. Severus smirked.

And how do you suggest we get him there?

…We'll make a tree out of chocolate and let his own gluttony be the undoing of him.

You're wicked.

You have no idea. Severus laughed and tried to cover it with a cough, receiving strange glances from Harry and Remus. Draco lowered his head into his hands, his face flushed pink. Severus hadn't thought it possible to send someone a wink by means of a thought.

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I avoid Lupin throughout Friday, but manage to bump into him on Saturday in one of the many corridors in the mansion, despite the size of the house. An uneasy feeling that maybe he was looking for me rises in my stomach. I recover quickly and stand patiently as he fumbles about with parchment and quills.

"Sorry, Severus."

"Quite alright, Lupin." He flinches at my use of his surname after so many years. We stand awkwardly, neither of us knowing what to say but thinking we should say something. It's Remus who finally breaks the silence with a pathetic excuse for a conversation starter.

"How've you been?"

"Fine, thank you." Then, after his hurt-puppy-dog expression, "You?" He smiles at this small sign of acknowledgment.

"Can't complain. Although…" He trails off, looks at his feet. "I miss you." Shit. He would try to make things difficult. He glances up at me, and I try to look as cold as is humanly possible, scared that the portraits will talk and the idle gossip will reach Lucius. I'm completely taken by surprise when he stands on his toes and kisses me. I hit my head on the stone wall behind me in my attempt to pull away, letting out a startled grunt. I push him lightly and see Lucius standing at the end of the corrridor. He turns on his heel and storms off in the opposite direction, his hands balled into fists. I swear under my breath and race after him, leaving Lupin looking slightly confused and rejected. The portraits mutter amongst themselves, flitting from frame to frame to talk to their neighbours.

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"What the hell do you mean, you didn't kiss him? I saw you!" It's too late to avoid his anger, and I wish I'd left him alone until he had calmed down. Lucius has locked the door and I wish I knew where he kept my wand.

"He kissed me, Lucius! I didn't mean for it to happen." I wish Lucius would stop looking at me, knock me out, blind me so I wouldn't have to look at his eyes, so dark when angered.

"No. But it's not the first time you've done this."

"What?" The knock to my head is making it hard to focus and broken images of the room swim before my eyes.

"You didn't break up with Lupin until two years after we started dating. Do you think I didn't know? There's nothing about you I don't know, Severus. Nothing." He's standing mere inches from me,and suddenly the few centimetres difference in height between us seems infinitely more. I'm scared, but the fear just makes me angry.

"You were still married to Narcissa for four years while fucking me, so you're hardly guiltless in all of this!" I feel his hand across my cheek and hear a sharp crack as the side of my skull connects with the bedpost. Unable to withstand two blows to the head in such a short space of time, I sink to the floor, but he seizes my wrists tightly and pulls me to my feet. I feel the sticky warmth of blood in my hair.

"You may intimidate others, but not me. I thought you'd learnt what happens when you speak out of turn, but evidently I was mistaken." A pause. "Maybe you need another lesson." I whimper as the pressure on my wrists increases and I close my eyes. While he hurts me I listen to Harry laughing, far away, and wonder why no one can hear my screams.

Thankyou everyone for your kind reviews! I'm sorry if the chronology of this fic's confusing. I had to draw a timeline myself.


	4. The effects of alcohol

Draco, never one for social occasions, sank into the background and watched Harry mingling with the guests. He admired his ability to flit from one group of people to the next with such casual ease, and his well-honed talent of entertaining everyone gathered in the largest hall of Malfoy Manor. He found himself smiling when Harry laughed and enjoyed the small pang of jealously he felt when others strived for his attention, knowing that at the end of the evening they all had to go home, but he got to stay with the charismatic beauty long into the night and wake up next to him when morning came.

He was thankful that Harry's disappointment at Remus' early departure had dissipated almost as soon as his other friends had begun to arrive. He had blindly accepted Lupin's excuse about his 'time of the month', but Draco was a Malfoy, and therefore knew better than most when someone was lying. He knew Lupin's hasty exodus had something to do with his father's scathing glares and Severus' retraction into his shell.

He smiled as he saw Harry walking towards him through the crowd, his hips swaying slightly. He slipped his arm around the shy blonde's waist and kissed his cheek chastely. He started to move away when Draco caught his chin with two fingers and pulled him forwards into a somewhat less innocent kiss. Harry looked shocked at the sudden show of affection. He knew that Draco loved him, but he wasn't the most demonstrative of people.

"What's that in aid of?" 

"Do I need an excuse to love you?" Harry tried not to smirk and failed.

"Come on. You should greet your guests." 

22

Draco managed to slip away from Harry's friends and sought after his father amongst the unfamiliar crowd. He found him listening jadedly to a balding wizard, nodding occasionally and checking the clock on the wall every few seconds.

"Dad, can I have a word please?" Lucius looked relieved to be excused from the company of the tireless man.

"Of course. Excuse me." The man smiled understandingly and wondered off to find someone else to bore.

"What have you done?" Lucius' face was a picture of polite puzzlement. "What have you said to Severus? I know you both well enough to know when you've had a disagreement, and since Remus went home early I assume that your jealous streak had something to do with it. Go talk to him." Draco slinked away before Lucius could reply, and Lucius started to search for Severus, thinking of all the nasty things he would do to him if alcohol had loosened his tongue.

333

Harry didn't notice Severus until later that evening. By this time the rest of his company were comfortable and inebriated enough so they didn't need his constant attention. He glanced around the room, hoping to see Lucius or Draco, both of them being substantially more at ease talking to the often disagreeable and sullen retired blight of his teenage years. However, seeing neither, he made his way to the terrace, stopped a few times by drunken acquaintances he'd forgotten the names of and once by Fred Weasley.

Severus leaned elegantly on the metal railings lining the paved terrace, a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other, staring intently at the setting sun. The cigarette burned closer and closer to his fingers, before the weight of the untended ash became too much and it dropped to the ground in a swirl of softly smouldering grey and orange pinpricks.

"Professor?" He started slightly at the sound of his voice but recovered quickly.

"Don't you think it's about time you started calling me by my first name? You left school nine years ago, and I left ten years ago. You're engaged to my godson, even. I think the title 'Professor' has been made quite redundant." Harry was surprised by the eloquence in his speech, despite the almost overbearing smell of alcohol on his breath.

"Are you okay, Pr-?" He stopped himself from saying professor, but couldn't quite bring himself to call the man he once feared and respected in equal measures 'Severus'.

"Define 'okay', Potter. When people say they are 'okay', they are generally completely and utterly miserable yet feel they should keep their disillusionment with life to themselves, for some reason I could never fathom. So what does okay mean to you, Potter? Contentment? Happiness? Or are you just as fucking depressed as the rest of us?" Harry fumbled clumsily for words, taken aback by this sudden attack from the usually reserved man before him. Severus laughed cruelly and lit another cigarette, taking a long drag before speaking again. "I'm just peachy, Harry. Just peachy. " Harry was spared having to reply by a silken voice from behind him. Lucius looked flawless, as usual, the very epitome of composure as a gentle smile rested on his lips.

"I think Draco's looking for you, Harry." He moved to go back into the house, but something about Lucius' calm expression and the way Severus hurriedly stumped out his cigarette and sunk his head into his hands made him hesitate. Lucius raised one shapely eyebrow and Harry blushed, before thanking him and rushing into the house, leaving the two older men alone on the terrace.

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Lucius leaned on the railings beside Severus, brushing the cool metal pretentiously with his sleeve before touching it. He frowned slightly when he saw a small collection of empty bottle and cigarette ash on the ground below the slightly raised platform of the terrace.

"What did you say to him, Severus?" His voice sounded calm enough, but Severus had also noticed the couple standing within earshot. He guessed he was safe for the moment and sneered ironically at Lucius.

"Private conversation." The couple glanced up at his sarcastic tone and decided to take a walk. Lucius watched them go before forcefully turning Severus to face him.

"If I find out that you've been telling him things he has no business knowing, your life won't be worth living."

"Yeah, because it's all fun and games at the moment, isn't it? I don't think I've ever mentioned it, but I do so love broken bones and cleaning blood from the floor." He tore away from Lucius and made his way upstairs.

Draco and Harry, dancing amongst other couples, heard the slamming of his bedroom door and flinched. Lucius recovered quickly and came back into the house, curtailing straight to the drinks table.

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I pace the room, knowing that I shouldn't have snapped like that. I'll pay for it later. The effects of the alcohol are wearing off, and with it departs the iota of courage I'd had half an hour ago. There is blood on the floor, and the bedpost where I hit my head. I wonder if it's worth it for the occasional display of affection, the feeling of belonging to someone. I think of where I would go, how I would live, and realise I don't care. I step onto the balcony and estimate the distance from here to the forest. It's quite a distance, much further that I could go on foot before Lucius noticed I was missing, but I think I can apparate the expanse. I don't want to try apparating too far, as I haven't used magic in so long. I consider searching for my wand, but knowing Lucius he probably keeps it with him. I glance at the room for the last time, and am gone.

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Lucius watches Severus' apparate to the edge of the forest, glance around furtively, and disappear into the vast concentration of trees. He checks the time, the distance, and decides he has time for another drink.

7777777

He slows down and glances behind him, eventually turning around and walking backwards. The lights of Malfoy Manor are still visible. The sun dips beneath the horizon and pitches him into darkness. His breathing slows to a regular pace and he brushes his hair from his face. He can still see the silhouettes of guests, and tells himself that Lucius probably doesn't even know he's missing yet. He can't imagine Lucius, the perfect host, leaving a party early, even if there was too many people to notice if he wasn't there. He allows himself a smile of relief.

"Going somewhere?" He turns quickly and stumbles slightly, his obsidian eyes enlarging at the sight of Lucius leaning lethargically against a tree. Before he even sees Lucius move he's pinned up against the same tree, so close that he can smell alcohol on Lucius' breath. "Didn't think so." A tear of frustration rolls down Severus' cheek and he scolds himself for it. Lucius kisses him, tasting the salty tear on his lips, before trailing kisses down Severus' neck.

"Please don't, Lucius. You're drunk."

"You're hardly the model of sobriety yourself." His words are slurred, and Severus can feel his warm breath on his neck and shudders.

"Stop it." He cries out in surprise and pain as his arm is twisted behind his back.

"Don't tell me what to do. Just let me take what's rightfully mine." He continues to push Severus' arm upwards until his hand brushes his shoulder blade.

"Fine. Fine, just stop hurting me. Please don't hurt me anymore, not today." Lucius laughs and releases his arm.

"I knew you'd see it my way." 


	5. Hiding places

Harry was woken by the breeze from the window and Draco shivering beside him, although his pale skin was still slightly flushed in his sleep despite the coolness of the room. He attempted to move his arm carefully from Draco's waist to draw the blanket around their shoulders, but a cold hand gently clasped his wrist, preventing him from moving.

"Just leave it." His voice was muffled as he tried to bury his head further into the pillow.

"But you're cold." He whispered, hoping not to wake Draco from his halfway state between dreams and reality, thinking him the most beautiful at this time of day, with stripes of pale sunlight highlighting the soft contours of his face. He felt his arm pulled closer to Draco's chest.

"You can keep me warm." Harry giggled lightly and Draco smirked, partially because of the delightful sound of Harry's laughter and partially because of the warm breath on his ear. "God, you're beautiful." The utterance was barely audible, but loud enough for Harry to hear and blush. He pushed himself up on his free elbow and kissed Draco clumsily on the cheek.

"Are you okay?" The words were out before he could stop himself and he flinched, remembering Snape's unexpected tirade yesterday. Draco brushed a stray golden lock from his face and sighed.

"I guess." He paused, gathering his words into something more coherent than the clutter of thoughts in his head. "Do you think my dad and Severus will split up? I now my dad's not the easiest person to get along with, but he treats him well, right?" Harry was glad Draco had his back to him, and so couldn't see his face. He wanted to reassure Draco, and probably had no reason not to, but something about the couple's reactions to one another wasn't quite right. All the same, an anxious look was a weak foundation for questions to be raised about their relationship, and he wasn't eager to interfere with the two imposing Slytherins' lives. "I don't think I could lose another parent." The distress in his voice was enough to remind Harry of the heartache and feelings of abandonment Draco had endured when his mother had left, and his promise to himself to never, in any way, contribute to his unhappiness.

"They'll be fine, Draco. It was just an argument. People are bound to have quarrels when they've been together as long as they have." Draco turned around and buried his head in Harry's shoulder, finally allowing Harry to pull the covers over his shoulders.

"I suppose. What would I do without you?"

"I'm flattered." Harry was disgusted yet faintly amused at how much he sounded like Snape. He captured Draco's chin with two fingers and tipped his head upwards to look at him. "Smile for me." Draco put on his most condescending expression.

"Malfoys don't smile." Harry grinned.

"I beg to differ." Draco yelped as Harry broke the promise he'd made never to exploit Draco's ticklishness. Draco laughed and tried to squirm away, all thoughts of Severus and his father forgotten for the moment.

22

Harry heard it again and sat up. Draco stirred but rolled over and carried on sleeping. Harry got out of bed, careful not to wake the sleeping blonde, and walked over to the door. He pressed his ear to it and listened for the sounds he'd been hearing for the past few minutes. He heard the doors down the corridor opening quickly, one by one, then close slowly, with a click, then a few moments silence before the next one swung open, hitting the wall with a muffled crash.

He dithered behind the door, unsure of whether he should go back to bed or into the corridor. He opened the door slightly, pressing his eye to the slit and staring into the dim space, lit only by the wavering flame of a candle moving towards him. The light cast flickering shadows across the walls, and he caught sight of the corner of a robe disappearing through a door opposite him, where he was sure there hadn't been a room before. His natural curiosity got the better of him and he ventured into the corridor, taking a quick glance at Draco to make sure he was still asleep.

He crossed the few paces to the opposite side of the narrow corridor to discover that he'd been right, there wasn't a room there. He stood before the wall, wondering whether he had imagined it, oblivious to the light drawing ever closer to him. Suddenly a hand shot out and pulled him into the hidden room. Another hand clasped around his mouth, preventing him from shouting out.

Severus turned to face him and motioned him to be quiet, before uncovering his mouth. He looked even paler than usual, and there was a dark trail of something Harry suspected of being blood leaving a jagged line down the side of his face. The sound of slamming doors grew closer, and with it came a whispered voice Harry recognised instantly.

"Sev? You can come out now. Severus." The candlelight spilled under the door, which had been invisible from the outside. Severus, obviously scared that Lucius had seen him pull Harry out of view, worried at the hem of his robes. Lucius' voice became louder. Severus flinched as Lucius' fist smashed into the wall, his hands jumping up to touch his neck. "Severus, get the fuck out here now!" All of the fake compassion in his voice was gone, replaced by anger and impatience, and obvious malice. Severus closed his eyes. "Snape where the fuck are you?" Harry was shocked by the obscenities used by the normally chaste and dignified man, and more than slightly afraid. Eventually the light dimmed and Lucius' footsteps faded into the distance, as did his whispered curses.

"Lumos." Harry started at the sound of Severus' voice, having forgotten that he was there, still pressed into the corner. The light revealed a disused bedroom, home to a bed, wardrobe and bedside table. There was a door to the left, which he assumed led to a bathroom.

When he turned to face Severus he was slowly working his fingers up the side of his face, investigating where he was bleeding so freely from. His wide sleeves dropped to his elbows, showing recent purple and blue marks and older, yellowing bruises. His wrists were red and littered with the crescent shaped cuts which could only have been made by fingernails. Snape caught him looking and dropped his hands to his sides again.

"Snape-"

"What?" He recoiled at the venom in his voice and that poisonous obsidian glare.

"What the hell's going on?"

"I don't think that's any of your business, do you?" He thought that he should've known better than to expect the most secretive man he knew to spill his secrets because he'd been privy to a late night game of hide and seek, with a twist he shuddered to think about.

Severus strode into the bathroom, trying to hide a slight limp and started to wipe the blood from his pale skin with a damp cloth. Harry noted the pink stains on the cloth and was revolted when he realised that the room had been used before tonight, and on a more regular basis than he would care to consider. Snape touched the wound on his head and hissed

"Would you like me to do that?" Snape sneered.

"I can take care of my own injuries, thank you." When he was finished he sat on the edge of the bed and lit a cigarette before looking at Harry. "Why are you still here?"

"When will you be going back to your room?"

"Whenever I damn well feel like it." He sounded confidant, but something in his eyes told Harry that he wasn't leaving his hiding place anytime soon.

"I can stay with you, if you'd like." He sneered again, but Harry thought it was more a force of habit and attempt to regain his dignity than the look of reproof he often favoured him with.

"Suit yourself." Harry sat on the bed beside Snape, as far away from him as was humanly possible, and they settled into an uncomfortable silence, which spanned into the early hours of the morning and was broken only when the summer sky started to pale.


	6. Confessions

I thought it about time that I started answering questions asked in reviews.

Meep meep: I don't know, what have I done! (Review of chapter 5)

Fizzycolasugarhigh: Is business studies ever interesting? I worry about Chris. He tried to slash his wrists using a keyboard. :S

Yaeko: Overeating is a symptom of depression, and wanted to show the emotional/mental damage Lucius was causing Sevvie-kins as well as the physical. Your second question will hopefully be answered in this chapter.

Thank you everyone for your kind reviews. They really make my day! This fic is going somewhere, I promise. Just bear with me!

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry laughed as Severus finished telling a rather obscure anecdote about his first year as a Hogwarts professor, and pretended not to see Severus' ironic smirk, as the moody potion-brewer still insisted that he did not have a sense of humour. He settled into a comfortable silence and breathed in the second hand smoke emitted from Severus, which he had realised long ago he didn't mind so much.

It had been two months since the discovery of Lucius and Severus' unhealthy relationship, and the leaves had started to brighten, before wilting and falling to the ground. He'd kept the promise he'd made to Severus not to tell anyone, although at times the pressure of knowing their dreadful secret was suffocating. Instead, he'd carried on meeting him in the room he ran to when he needed to hide, often returning to his own room whilst it was still dark, but sometimes, when it had been really bad, staying in Severus' secret sanctuary until daylight. Severus never asked him to stay, and never thanked him for doing so, but Harry knew that, despite being a incurable hermit, he was grateful for the company. They talked about Hogwarts; Quidditch; the ministry; Harry's future; Draco; old friends; anything, really. Anything but Lucius, the secret which had brought them together and yet created an invisible barrier between the two ex-adversaries. Slowly Severus' innate reserve had dimmed and he felt more comfortable with Harry's presence, until it became natural, part of the background. Harry tried to pinpoint the time when they'd stopped sitting acres away from one another on the end of the bed and had started to sit side by side on the floor with their backs to it. The habits they'd once found annoying in one another were now just the idiosyncrasies by which they defined the other.

Harry checked the time and, seeing that it was late, started to move back to his own room. The half-smile slipped from Severus' face and he busied himself lighting another cigarette. Harry decided that Draco could do without him for one night.

22

"I have a confession." Severus favoured Harry with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh? Do I want to know?" Severus' dismissive attitude caused Harry to think that he probably wouldn't care if he admitted to murder.

"I spent most of my third year stealing potions from you." He looked down sheepishly, leaving behind the twenty-six year old auror to become a chastisement fearing teenager once more. Severus didn't even flinch.

"Oh, I know." Harry stared at him with a look not unlike that of a startled deer, waiting vainly for an explanation.

"Why didn't you stop me? Your main aim while I was Hogwarts was to get me into trouble." Severus shrugged.

"I kept meaning to. I guess Remus just distracted me from my usual testiness." It took Harry a moment to realise that they'd been a couple during his third year, and Severus mused that for someone of his intelligence he was sometimes incredibly slow, and he still had to ask for confirmation of his assumptions.

"You were together for the whole year, and nobody suspected anything?" Severus smirked.

"It's amazing what you can get up to in a dungeon without anyone noticing." The room was silent for a second, before he laughed wickedly as Harry clapped his hands over his ears and repeated the syllable 'la' over and over again, like a mulish child.

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"Why did you and Remus split up?" Severus let out the exasperated sigh he reserved for unwelcome questions.

"I got bored."

"What?" Severus sighed again.

"I got bored. I enjoy my freedom. I don't like being with the same person for too long." he laughed shortly. "Not that I was particularly faithful." Harry seemed concerned, although whether it was for Remus or Severus was unclear.

"You cheated on Remus?" Severus scowled.

"More times than I care to remember." Harry was undeterred by Severus' obvious discomfort.

"But -" Severus snapped, cutting his sentence short.

"I'd rather not talk about my love life, if that's alright with you?" Harry glanced down as he realised that he'd overstepped his mark and mumbled his apologies.

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Severus noticed Harry looking at him and tried to ignore him, but the startling green eyes bore into the side of his head until he could no longer abide it.

"What?"

"You're going to kill yourself."

"I wasn't planning on it, but if you insist I guess I could give it a go." Harry frowned.

"I didn't mean like that. You smoke too much, you drink too much, you eat little and seldom sleep. You work too hard. It's no wonder you're always so tired!"

"I do not drink too much! And if the ministry asks for potions I'm hardly going to say no." Harry looked unconvinced.

"You had a glass of wine with breakfast this morning and the ministry has to accept that you're trying to enjoy your retirement." Severus snorted. "And what about the smoking? And under-eating and under-sleeping?"

"I've always lived like this and I'm still alive, aren't I?" He looked down sheepishly at his nicotine stained fingers. "Besides, Lucius doesn't like me when I'm fat." Harry's voice softened.

"You've never been fat, Severus. You've always been underweight. He just likes to play with your mind, exercise his control over you. You know that, don't you?" Severus' head jerked upwards and he glared at Harry with stony eyes.

"Don't speak to me as you would a child. Need I remind you that I'm twenty years your senior, and far more experienced in the workings of my boyfriend's mind than you could ever be. I'm quite capable of running my own life successfully without your input."

"Yes, your life is in perfect order, isn't it? In fact, it's just how I want my life to be. Trapped in a big, airy house with no friends and nothing better to do than smoke, and drink, and get the shit beaten out of me by my boyfriend whenever I do something as heinous as put on a few ounces. Yes, Severus, your life is all sussed out, isn't it? Well done." He made his way to the door with his head held high, stopping when he got there to address the wretched man sitting at the foot of the bed. "Lucius doesn't know you smoke though, does he?" He remained quiet. "Didn't think so. So what's your excuse for that?" He left Severus in the dark with only the thoughts he strove to keep at bay for company. He looked at the cigarette burning closer to his fingers before he stubbed it out on the wooden floor.

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"I lied." Harry, who'd started to doze off, sat up sharply.

"Hm?"

"I said I lied. Remus split up with me, not the other way around." Harry looked at him questioningly, no longer tired now his natural curiosity has been provoked. "I did cheat on him, but I didn't want to give him up. I loved him, despite what he thought. But even if I'd stopped, reformed, become the perfect partner he always wanted me to be, I couldn't compete with Sirius." Harry looked shocked at this latest piece of news about his highly esteemed godfather, but, more then that, he seemed concerned. "He loved Sirius more than me, although Sirius didn't appreciate Remus as much as he should. To him Remus was just one more thing he had and I didn't. He put Sirius on a pedestal and I was just someone to keep him entertained until he was out of prison." As Severus spoke he seemed to shrink, age, as if becoming the person he saw himself as. He pretended to be interested in a mark on the floor, although in the dark he could barely see two feet in front of his face. Harry looked away, feeling awkward. "I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to…" he trailed off with a shrug.

"It's okay." Harry gave a weak smile and they fell into silence. A few minutes passed before Harry had the courage to speak again. "Are all wizards gay, or just the ones I know?" Severus laughed and punched Harry playfully on the arm, and they descended into conversation easily.

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"Shit." Severus sat behind the door, unable to make it to the bed yet needing the wall to support his willowy frame. His knees were drawn up to his chest so he could rest his head on them and he was trembling. There was a lot of blood, much more than usual, and it flowed so readily from every wound. Harry could no longer deny that it was getting worse, and the periods Severus spent in the hated room were becoming more and more frequent. He saw how Severus must have looked when he was a teenager and suddenly hated his father and Sirius for tormenting him so in his youth. He couldn't help but think that, if they'd left him alone, he would have the confidence to stand up to Lucius and leave. He hated Remus for failing to see the dark elegance and beauty hidden beneath his cold, scornful exterior, for not recognising the fragile waif shivering before him. He hated Lucius for reducing the once strong man into someone so vulnerable and frightened. But mostly he hated himself, for being too scared to help when it was so evidently needed.

Harry helped him to the foot of the bed, and for once Severus didn't snap that he could look after himself. He allowed Harry to tend to his wounds, hissing occasionally at his clumsy, untrained attempts. By the time Harry had cleaned away most of the blood Severus had regained his composure and was patiently waiting for Harry to finish. Harry poured the now red water down the sink and sat beside Severus, careful not to knock into him lest his billowing robes hid purpling bruises. Severus opened his mouth to say something, but gave up and took out his cigarettes. Harry reached over him and threw them across the room. They hit the wall with a muffled thump and fell to the floor.

"Are you angry with me?" Harry stopped himself before he could snap and took a deep breath.

"No, of course not. You've done nothing wrong. I'm just worried about you."

"Sorry."

"Don't apologise! You have nothing to be sorry for." Harry put his head in his hands. "Look what he's reduced you to. He's changed you, Severus."

"He's done worse."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

_I'm almost asleep when Lucius stumbles in the dark and wakes me. I scowl and try to go back to sleep, but the light from the bathroom falls across my eyes and I give up. _

"_You're incapable of being quiet, aren't you?" Lucius jumps at the sound of my voice but smiles as he glances back at me._

"_Maybe I wanted to wake you." I roll my eyes and slide across the bed so he can climb in beside me. He lays his hand on my cheek and subtly brushes my hair behind my ears with his little finger. I allow his delicate kisses, but push him away as his hand wanders to my waistband. _

"_I'm tired. I'd rather just sleep." He frowns and raises an eyebrow. _

"_I'd rather not." He moves to kiss me and I push him away again. His frown deepens and all humour disappears from his silvery eyes. I don't notice his fingers curled around my wrists until I feel his nails scratching at the fragile network of veins._

"_Severus, this is getting very tedious." His voice is calm, but there's a threatening undertone which makes me more determined to defend myself._

"_No, Lucius." His grip on my wrist tightens and I feel the small bones grinding together. He moves closer and looks at me pityingly. _

"_I thought you would have realised by now, but I always get my own way." _

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

_I lie with my back to Lucius, staring absent-mindedly at the contents of the bedside table. There's a lamp, a copy of 'Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them.', a nail Lucius had found on the floor that morning, and which we'd assumed had been overlooked after the refurbishments made to our room a month ago, and a few homeless, mismatched buttons. _

_I'm not tired anymore. In fact, I don't think I'll sleep at all tonight. _

"_Severus?" I squeeze my eyes shut and try to ignore his silken voice. I open them again quickly, needing the smoky moonlight filtering through the open window. "Come here." He touches my shoulder and I try not to flinch away from his cold fingertips. I turn around and slide my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest. His heartbeat is strangely soothing, yet doesn't cancel the feelings of unease caused by his chilled fingers on my back. My eyelids flutter shut again, and this time I welcome the darkness. His whispered voice breaks through my thoughts. "Tell me you love me." _

"_I love you." He snorts. _

"_Fucking liar." His voice is marginally louder and I feel his heart rate increase until it's the only thing I can hear._

"_No I'm not." His fist hits my stomach hard, winding me. As I gasp for breath, my eyes streaming, he shoves me away from him and pins my hands above my head with one hand. With the other he snatches something from the small table to my left and holds it above one of my eyes. I have to squint in the dark, but recognise it as the forgotten nail he'd rooted out from under the bed. _

"_Who else are you sleeping with?" I wonder if Lucius has finally taken leave of his senses._

"_Nobody, Lucius." His nostrils flare. _

"_Don't lie to me, you cheap whore." He moves the nail closer to my eye._

"_I'm not lying Lucius, I promise, I'm not." He grins and I close my eyes instinctively. _

"_Open your eyes, or I'll just pin your eyelids to them." I open them unwillingly. "I could blind you right now, couldn't I? Poke out your pretty little eyes and then you would never be able to look at another man ever again, would you?"_

"_I wouldn't anyway!" _

"_Would you?" I realise that expressing my innocence is useless, and, in my fear, tell him what he wants to hear._

"_No, Lucius." _

"_Who do you belong to?"_

"_You." He laughs and puts the nail back onto the table, but tightens his grip on my wrists. His fingernails bite into the thin layer of skin and a small pool of blood stains my skin. He strokes my cheek, and I flinch away from the patronising gesture. _

"_Never mind. Not that any of the men you eye up would want a cheap, nasty tramp like you anyway. You're lucky I'm so tolerant." He relinquishes his hold on me and I rest my head in the crook of his neck. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and kisses the top of my hair. _

"_I'm sorry." I'm not just saying it either, I can feel the regret I would if I'd actually committed anything Lucius accused me of._

"_You can cry now, if you must." _

"_Thank you." I shed a few tears to make him happy, and focus on the cool breeze at my back. _

\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry held Severus as he dissolved into tears, rocking back and forth in an attempt to soothe him. He was partially glad that Severus had found the courage to talk, but part of him mourned the youthful innocence he'd lost while listening to Severus' jumbled recollections of the past sixteen years. Finally Severus cried himself to sleep in Harry's arms, like an exhausted child after a tantrum. Harry carried on swaying, his fingers running through Severus' hair, and wept in frustration and helplessness.

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"Why do you stay with him?" Severus shrugs.

"I used to cling to a whimsical fantasy of romance, but I doubt Lucius or I believe in love any more. I guess I'm scared to leave him. I don't want to hurt Draco, and how would I live? I don't have a job, a house, anything. Lucius isn't always like this, he does show that he cares about me sometimes." He looks down and laughs bitterly. "Besides, who else would want me?"

"I want you." Severus is startled into silence. Harry moves closer to him and places a delicate kiss on his forehead. Severus knows he should stop him but desperately needs the tenderness which has so long been denied to him. Harry grazes his lips briefly and, when the expected rejection fails to materialise, leans in for a deeper kiss.

Severus is gripped with a sudden panic and pushes Harry away, with slightly more force than intended. Harry looks hurt and embarrassed, and Severus sees him as he was as a student.

"You still don't understand! He'll kill me! Don't you understand?" He grips Harry's shoulders and searches his eyes for a trace of comprehension. Harry pulls away.

"To hell with Lucius! He shouldn't be able to make you so unhappy! It's not fair!"

"Life rarely is, Harry. What about Draco? Have you thought about him?" Harry glances down and frets at the sleeve of his shirt. "If you hurt him I'll never forgive you." Harry looks up angrily.

"I'd never hurt him! I'm not like your bastard of a partner."

"There's more than one way to hurt someone, Harry."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Draco woke as Harry wrapped his arms around his waist and buried his eyes in his shoulder. He was alarmed by his lovers evident distress and, try as he might, he could not console him. Harry refused to loosen his grip on Draco,and when he implored him to tell him what was wrong, he cried into his collarbone. Eventually Draco soothed him somewhat, and Harry curled up in his lap and rocked, muttering "I'm sorry." over and over in a tear-choked voice.


	7. Decisions

They chose to forget it had ever happened. Severus and Harry carried on as normal, speaking scarcely during the day and meeting in their hidden room every few nights. They conversed easily enough, but stuck to the subjects they both knew were safe, like acquaintances will before they've gathered the confidence to let a little of themselves slip beneath their protective shield; they sat a little further away from one another, not even looking at the other often, other than the small glances they sneaked occasionally; Harry returned to his own room at night, and lay next to the Draco he assumed was sleeping.

And Severus never let Harry touch him again. He tended his own wounds, and even moved his arms when Harry shifted slightly, crossed his legs so their feet wouldn't knock together. He'd retreated hastily back into his shell and Harry knew he would probably never be able to draw him back out.

During meals, when the four of them were forced to be together, they spoke casually, and Harry often felt suffocated by the heavy lies polluting the air around them. Lucius smiled to keep up the pretence that his and Severus' relationship was a happy one, so Draco and Harry wouldn't know what went on behind closed doors; Severus smiled to hide how much Lucius hurt him from the boy he loved as a son, and to hide his growing feelings for the man he loved, fearing Lucius' anger and Draco's grief; Harry smiled to deceive Lucius that he knew nothing and himself that he felt nothing for anyone but his fiancé, but however much one wants to fool oneself, the truth has an annoying habit of wanting to be acknowledged; Draco smiled to cover the dismay he felt at Harry's almost nightly disappearances, and the unnoticed tears on his moonlit cheeks. They were silent to avoid having to face reality, or socially undesirable situations.

Inside, they screamed.

Draco didn't ask Harry where he was going, or why he'd once returned crying and begging forgiveness, a short time ago which seemed like years. He knew Harry would tell him when he was ready. However, he wasn't sure he'd be ready to listen when that time came.

Everything continued as it had always done at Malfoy Manor. The sun rose a little later every morning and set a little earlier every evening, the small party moved inside for breakfast as the weather became more hostile, they rose, dressed, talked until they felt like vomiting, amused themselves for a few short hours before going to bed and preparing for the long night ahead, and they died a little more with each passing day.

22

"Harry? Where are you going?" Harry felt Draco's hand on his back and turned to see him looking blearily at him through half closed eyes. He twisted around and kissed him on the forehead before standing up.

"Nowhere, love. Just for a walk. Go back to sleep." Draco snorted.

"Chasing after things that go bump in the night?" Harry turned sharply, his hand still on the door knob.

"What did you say?" Draco looked away.

"Nothing." Harry was kneeling by the bed, gripping Draco's hand desperately.

"What have you heard, Draco?" Draco sighed and covered his eyes with his free hand.

"Nothing. Just noises. That's all." Harry hesitated.

"I have to tell you something. I can't keep it secret anymore-"Draco sat up suddenly, throwing Harry's hand away from him.

"Don't, Harry! Please don't tell me. I don't think I could take it. Please, don't tell me anything." Draco dissolved into tears. He drew his knees up to his chest and covered his head with his arms, rocking back and forth as sobs wracked his body. He looked so small. "I'm not strong enough."

Harry stepped away from the bed, running his hand through his hair. He didn't know what to do, if he should comfort Draco or Severus. At one point it would've been Draco, no question. At one point he would've put his arm around him and soothed him, dried his tears, filled in the role of mother, and friend, and lover. He would've done anything to ease his pain. But now…now there was an invisible barrier between them, like a wall of ice, separating them and making them cold. Harry wrapped his arms around himself and took another step backwards.

"I'm sorry, Draco. I have to go." He turned and fled.

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Severus had been trying to clean wounds on his back, with little success, when Harry closed the door. He let out a cry of exasperation before hurling the cloth across the room and lowering his head into his hands.

"Let me." Severus closed his eyes.

"No, Harry. I'll just wait until tomorrow and get Lucius to look at them." Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Severus?" Snape glanced at him twice before letting his arms fall dejectedly.

"Fine." He barked. Harry retrieved the cloth from the corner of the room and returned to where Severus was sitting, kneeling behind him. He tried to lift Severus' shirt to see the damage, but Severus pulled it down again self-consciously. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Severus, I need to be able to see it if I'm to help." Severus breathed through his nose emphatically.

"Fine." He repeated. Harry lifted the shirt again to see perhaps two dozen cigarette burns on the pale flesh. Severus blushed as Harry brushed his fingers over the sensitive marks. "He found out about my smoking. He hates cigarettes." He laughed harshly. "I should've quit when you told me to." He wished Harry would say something, even 'I told you so', but he remained quiet, running his fingers across his scarred skin. Severus felt uncomfortable with the tender yet strangely intimate touch of his former pupil, but couldn't deny that it wasn't completely unpleasant. Or unwelcome. He knew he should put an end to the caresses, a sharp comment would probably work wonders, but didn't, not even when the ethereal fingers were replaced with gossamer lips. Harry placed his hand on Severus' shoulder, and Severus moved to cover it with his own slender fingers. The touch brought him back to reality with a bump.

"Harry, stop it." He stood and turned to face Harry, who was still sitting on the floor, looking hurt and ashamed. Severus' anger dissipated and he sat down with his back to the bed. "We have to stop this."

"I can't, Severus. I can't." Harry's voice was barely a whisper.

"We have to. If Lucius found out it would be more than a few bruises and broken bones." Harry stood up quickly, making Severus flinch instinctively, and started to pace.

"Leave him! You don't need him, you don't need this. Pack your stuff and get the hell out of here."

"You really think it's that simple, don't you? If you hadn't noticed, this is all I have. He's everything." Harry stopped pacing.

"He doesn't have to be." He kneeled in front of Severus and gripped his hands tightly. "We can run away. Sirius left me 12 Grimmauld place, we could live there for a while. Together. I love you." Severus snorted and looked away.

"I'm afraid the feeling's not reciprocated."

"Don't dismiss me, Severus. I don't think I could stand it. And don't lie to me. There are already too many lies in this house." Severus sighed. He looked tired.

"Are you prepared to leave Draco? Do you know how much it would hurt him?" Harry ran his hands through his hair.

"Shit. I love him so much. I don't want to hurt him, Severus, honest I don't. But I don't want to see you hurting anymore either."

"Who do you want, Harry? You can't have both of us. If you choose Draco I'll walk away and pretend that nothing's happened, but you have to decide now." Harry started to pace again, not the regimented figure of eight Lucius preferred, but a more aimless wandering. Severus' thoughts strayed to Draco and he felt sick, disgusted by how much he was willing to hurt the boy he'd thought he'd do anything to protect. He was contemplating telling Harry to forget it, to go back to his room and sort things out with Draco, when Harry's voice stilled him.

"You." That small word awakened countless emotions in Severus he'd thought he'd buried too deep to unveil. He felt the pang of happiness he'd felt when Remus had first said he loved him, the strain of uncertainty from his first crush, the worry that he'd mess it up, the worry that Harry would, the weightless sensation of placing his heart in someone else's care and the fear that it would be shattered, and underneath it all the bitter taste of his betrayal. He was confused, excited, worried, happy, scared, everything he'd tried to abolish and now found that he didn't mind.

"Are you sure?" Harry didn't reply. He simply slipped his arms around Severus' waist and let his head fall into the crook of his neck. Severus returned the embrace, rocking slightly backwards and forth. "We have to go now, before Lucius finds out." Harry nodded into his shoulder before stepping back.

"I need to see him again. Just once more." Severus nodded his understanding and Harry went back to his room, stopping only to kiss Severus hesitantly.

Severus sat down and found that he was shaking. He twisted the edges of his shirt worriedly and stared at the door, waiting for it to open, wondering what he would do if Harry didn't come back.

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Draco lay on his side, facing the window. His recently shed tears were still drying on his cheeks. The moonlight illuminated his pale skin, pink lips, casting deep shadows across his features. His translucent eyelids shifted occasionally as his eyes moved in his sleep, searching in the dark. Harry kissed away the tears clinging to his inky eyelashes, smiling at his first love, his beautiful, fragile angel. His lower lip trembled slightly and a tear fell to his cheek. He wiped it away hurriedly, before kissing Draco one last time and fleeing, leaving him alone in his nightmare-filled sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Lucius' drunken voice rises from the darkness, despite their best efforts to remain as quiet as possible. He staggers towards them and Severus shies away, but Harry stands his ground. He finds Severus' hand and pulls him forward. Lucius sees their interlocking fingers and sneers. He does what has become instinct to him and raises his hand, but before it can find it's mark Harry catches it at the wrist and forces it back down. Lucius glares at him, and he glares back with superior vehemence. He switches targets, Severus being so much easier to intimidate after years spent breaking him.

"You're not leaving." Severus almost agrees, but Harry's hand tightens around his. He tries to swallow but his mouth's too dry.

"Yes I am, Lucius. Do you understand? I am." Lucius' confidence wavers and replaced by anger.

"And what are you going to do when he loses interest in you? When he realises that you're a pathetic, half-blood, son of a -"

"Enough!" Harry steps in front of Severus protectively. "We're leaving, Mr Malfoy. I suggest you find someone else to take your anger out on." Lucius leans over Harry, so close that he can smell the alcohol on his breath and see dark smudges of charcoal eyeliner.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about, Potter. Whatever lies he's been feeding you, I'm afraid that his sole intention was to lure you into his bed."

"I don't know what I'm talking about? I've seen the bruises, and the burns, and the cuts. How long did you think it could go on without somebody noticing?" Harry's shouting, and that gives Severus the courage he needs to stand beside him, rather than use him as a sort of human shield. "You're sick, Malfoy." Lucius' gaze returns to Severus.

"I thought we'd agreed not to tell, Sev. I'm afraid you're going to have to pay for breaking our pact." Harry speaks up again.

"No. He won't."

"Harry?" Draco seems confused to find all three of them there at some godforsaken hour of the morning, but his eyes widen in surprise and sudden understanding when he glimpses Harry and Severus' joined hands.

"Are you leaving me?" His lip trembles slightly but he holds back his tears. Harry steps towards him, surrendering Severus' hand for the time being.

"I'm so sorry, Draco." Lucius scoffs.

"So you were just going to go without telling me? Without even trying to explain why?" Lucius stands beside his son, placing a perfectly manicured hand on his shoulder in a gesture of mock comfort.

"I tried to tell you, Draco. I said he'd hurt you."

"Don't listen to a word he says." Severus' voice wavers slightly, but he holds on to the morsel of authority he still has.

"But hey, listen to your esteemed godfather. How long do you think he's been screwing your boyfriend when your back was turned?"

"Your father's hardly perfect either. He's put me through hell, and I doubt Narcissa fared much better."

"Shut up!" There are tears streaming freely from Draco's eyes, eyes so much like his father's apart from the cruel glint they adopt when inflicting pain. Lucius and Severus back down and Harry steps forward gingerly. Draco smiles grimly.

"I thought you loved me."

"I do, Draco. Please believe me. I love you more than you'll ever know."

"But you love him more?" Harry runs his hand through his unruly hair.

"No…yes. Oh, I don't know! It's too complicated. I'm sorry, Draco. I have to go."

"So you keep saying."

While Harry and Draco talk, Severus watches Lucius. He's pacing again, that strict figure eight, and his breathing is harsh. His hands clench and unclench at his sides compulsively, and Severus knows that he'll hit him if they don't leave soon, regardless of Harry and Draco's presence. He becomes scared for Draco, perfectly aware of how much Lucius could cause him to suffer.

"Draco, you should leave with us." Lucius laughs coldly and Severus steps back instinctively.

"Wouldn't that be a cosy little arrangement? Can I come too?" Harry and Severus wince and Severus addresses Draco again.

"Please don't stay here. Not with him." Draco rounds on him.

"He's not the one who's hurt me!" Over his head Severus sees Lucius grin triumphantly. The expression's horrible, twisting his perfect features and making them ugly.

"Harry, we should go."

"Please." Draco's voice is barely above a whisper. "I need you."

"No you don't. You'll find someone else, someone who deserves you." Harry smiles despondently. "You're beautiful." He tries to brush the tears from Draco's face but he pushes his hand away.

"Don't touch me." Harry looks down before moving towards the door, taking Severus' hand. He feels something hit his back and turns inelegantly. He bends down and picks the silver engagement ring from the floor. On Draco's finger it was unpretentious and elegant, perfect. Now it looked plain.

"So much for promises."

22

Lucius sat in the dark and drank. He wanted Severus back. He needed to hurt him, more than he ever had before. He wanted to hear his bones crack and his voice hoarse from screaming. He wanted to see him broken and bleeding and begging for forgiveness he would never receive. Potter too.

He thought of how Potter had looked when dancing with Draco, when walking with him in the gardens, when telling him again and again that he needed to go. He remembered the sorrow and guilt in his eyes.

_I suggest you find someone else to take your anger out on. _

He grinned and stumbled clumsily to his feet, thinking _'you know what, Harry? I might just do that.'_

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Daily Prophet. 11th October

'Murder' at Malfoy Manor?

This morning, police were alerted by Lucius Malfoy about the death of his son, Draco Malfoy.

The distraught divorcee phoned the authorities at about 7am, claiming that his son was bleeding profusely and that 'he needs help quick. Before it's too late.' He was proclaimed dead by a bullet to the brain at 7.15 am.

After allegations of unlawful death, the auror leading the investigation, Alastor Moody, said that 'the case is being treated as suspicious, but we cannot insist on murder so early on in the proceedings.'

Lucius Malfoy, 52, is of the opinion that his son, 26, committed suicide after a tragic incident between his fiancé, Harry Potter,and his godfather, Severus Snape, who are being tracked down for their statements.

The promising young man's heartache came after a steady battle with depression after the sudden departure of his mother, Narcissa Black, some years ago. Mr Malfoy said that, the night before his death, Draco been so unhappy that he had 'feared he would do something stupid.'

Investigations continue.

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Lucius was confident that that people would accept the suicide story. He hadn't left any evidence, even in his drunken stupor, and if they did find some he'd overlooked he was unlikely to suffer for it. He'd learnt a long time ago that money goes a long way.

Draco had been a high price to pay for their misery, but by God were they hurting. Lucius wished that he could feel their pain, savour it, and then he would be able to say, with utter conviction, that he'd won. Just like he always wins.

Fin.

I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from. I didn't mean for it to be so dark. Oops.


End file.
